I’m making the assumption that since you are a Blue Jays fan, you are located somewhere around Toronto. If that is the case, the closest team (physical location) on your list would be the Tigers.

What is the point of rooting for a team if you never have a chance to go see them play? With the Tigers, you could probably catch one or two games a year (or more, depending on your dedication).

I am not the kind of person who will quote statistics at you to tell you the Tigers are better. In fact, if they had to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees (and Devil Rays), they probably would be in the same situation as the Jays. However, they don’t, so on that alone they have a better chance of making the playoffs.

If you knew anything about the Tigers you’d know what a tumultuous ten years it has been. I have no problem admitting the better they play the more I am into it, and I bet the same goes for a lot of fans. I’m not local to Detroit, so I also consider myself a fan of other teams I have lived/currently live near, but I certainly didn’t watch all 163 of their games in 2009. I wouldn’t dream of disowning my team even after the hell that was 2003 and the heartbreak that was 2006, and this year. sorry your team has let you down but it happens in baseball pretty often. real fans may waver, swear, curse the powers that be, but they don’t give up.

that being said, we’re a fairly tight knit and hilarious bunch so if you’re interested in learning more about the Tigers while having fun, stop by during 2010.

Nor do they change uniforms every five years.

Yikes, who would want a fan like this guy hanging around your blog anyway? Pass.

I tried to be fair with this. I guess the Cards ended up a little ahead, so long as you don’t mind traveling.

I would like to note that pretty much everyone I’ve ever brought to Tiger games has become a Tigers fan. They’re a very likeable team, the fans travel well if you like going to road games, and we’re generally pretty nice/knowledgeable fans. On the other hand, we get killed in the winning categories — the Motor City Kitties are basically the team that other teams beat when having magical movie seasons.

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those are all good choices (except for the Dodgers, ahem), and I am very glad you are considering the Tigers. I became a fan not because I live in Michigan but because of the quality of the players on the team. Curtis Granderson is one of the coolest, most well-spoken, considerate guys in the sport and he is one of the reasons I am such a fan. Justin Verlander, Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez have been good for what seems like ages (to me) and are always exciting to watch. Verlander is a horse/stud/beast/machine and is so dominating, it gives you chills to watch him pitch. His no-hitter in 2007 is still one of my fondest sports memories ever. Inge is a phenomenal third baseman and literally throws himself around the field to pick balls. He has dived into or around the stands to make catches before, and there is one in particular that is one of the least shown but coolest diving catches I’ve seen. He also does crazy cool things for kids at hospitals and really seems to love his fans. Magglio did this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQnkFkOaFQ&feature=related and, therefore, we all love him, even after he cut his crazy hair this season. There are plenty of other awesome people, such as Placido “Oddly Shaped Head” Polanco, Carlos Guillen and, of course, our awesome slugger Miguel Cabrera, who kind of dominates at the plate.

I think another factor to consider is the fans. Detroit has some of the greatest fans in the world, and some of the least obnoxious greatest fans in the world. :) After going through so much losing early this decade, you would have to really love your team to stick with them, and most have. They have been rewarded with very good baseball for the last several years, and should hopefully be getting even more good baseball in the coming years. I fully expect a World Series title within the next 4 years. This team has all of the parts to do what we did this season, except next time, we’ll actually win the division and go far in the playoffs. With our pitching staff also containing rookie stud Kid Rick Porcello and, hopefully, Edwin Jackson, that should be strong for the next several years.

I don’t really know how to express why this team is so phenomenally super-awesome, but you just have to take my word for it. Great guys who can actually play really well make this such a fun team to watch. What’s also fun is this blog, which is full of odd people who post plenty of pictures of random things in the hope that we will make a late-inning comeback (which we did a lot this year) and who are actually friendly and don’t curse a lot. It’s like the opposite of a hockey blog. I think the Game Threads are the most fun things ever, especially when we are winning. You’ll see what I mean if you check it out.

Other than that, it’s up to you. Hope you choose the Tigers. It would be worth the effort of learning the ropes, so to speak.

Here’s some Tigers nicknames, from a while ago. Some may be outdated, and some don’t even play for us anymore. http://designaterobertson.blogspot.com/2009/05/whats-in-name.html

Kmann (BTW, hi everyone!)

I tell you what…you root for the Tigers and I won’t have to come bust yer kneecaps…

Capishe?

…who grew up near Sarnia here: let me tell you, when I was a youngster in the ’80s and both the Jays and Tigers were good, that was one hell of a rivalry. Lambton County was a county divided, to be sure: neighbours fought neighbours, pitchfork-wielding riots popped up when the teams played each other, and generalized mayhem broke out in the streets from April through October. But, I digress.

I’m a Tiger fan, and will be one until the day I’m in a pine box. Sure, you get a few funny looks on Yonge Street if you’re wearing the Olde English D instead of whatever gaudy logo the Jays have these days. And no, you won’t get 140 games of theirs served-up to you on the Smilin’ Ted Rogers Sportsnet a year. But what you will get is a team with real tradition, which plays honest baseball underneath a blue sky and on top of real grass, with passionate fans (as you can see here at the BYB), and two dozen games against the Royals! Just think: all the Yuniesky Betancourt and Tug Hulett you can handle, many times a season.

The Detroit Tigers: “OK Blue Jays”-free Since 1901!

Ernie Harwell says so…

Here.

I normally don’t link to my goofy stuff over here, but I just wrote this before reading your post. I hope it helps you on at least not rooting for another AL team.

If not Detroit, go with St. Louis. They’re good people.

Rally Creatures.

in more words…Knowing that you have an owner willing to do what it takes to win really makes it easy to be a fan of the Tigers.